


Eddy in time

by thebadwolf



Category: Ghostbusters (Movies 1984-1989)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Drug Use, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Underage Drinking, ghostbusters II never happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-03 16:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19468171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebadwolf/pseuds/thebadwolf
Summary: Ghostbusters II never happened. Janine and Egon's daughter Winter is struggling to fit in with the world around her. She is suddenly pushed into an adventure that can change her life forever.





	1. Chapter 1

Winter Spengler hated everyone and everything in this forsaken world. She had just experienced the worst day possible. Not only had she looked like a fool before a bunch of her classmates, but she’d also gotten her report card. Either of those things would be bad enough alone but together they were horrible.

She was walking across the wet courtyard at school when she slipped and fell. Her clothes and backpack were soaked with mud. Thank god that her boyfriend, Oscar had been there to help her up. She could still remember all the giggling as she’d hit the snow-covered ground.

Everyone thought she was a loser. Her parent's fame kept her from getting picked on, but she didn’t have friends. She wasn’t pretty or talented enough to collect the attention of her classmates. Her only friends were the children of the other Ghostbusters. Of course, she had a few odd kids she hung out with but no one she had a bond with. She wasn’t even that close with her parents.

Oscar was really all she had.

She felt even worse once she got her report card. Most of her grades were good except for her grade in biology. She wasn’t doing well in her biology class, and she knew her parents were going to be disappointed. Her father had never said it, but she knew he wanted her to a scientist, at the very least a ghostbuster. Winter didn’t have plans to do either. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, but she knew science wasn’t her calling.

The sixteen-year-old, girl had rushed home and been grateful that her parents weren’t there. She didn’t want them there to ask a million questions about why her eyes were full of tears. She wished Oscar could have come home with her, but he had to go to work. His Dad was teaching him how to handle a proton pack. Winter didn’t know which was scarier, his boyfriend with a proton pack or Uncle Peter. They both tended to be a little wild sometimes.

Winter quickly took a shower and changed into new clothes. Being clean made her feel a little better but it didn’t fix her problems. She was still a laughingstock at school and was nearly failing her biology class. She had no idea what she was going to do.

\--

Winter ignored her parents for the rest of the night. She stayed in her bedroom and refused to come out for dinner. She had no reason to be angry with them. They hadn’t done anything wrong. They just wanted her to be successful.

Of course, they both had tried to coax her out, but she’d stayed firm. She didn’t have a lock on her bedroom door, but she didn’t need one. Her parents wouldn’t just barge into her room. She didn’t want to see them. There was no way she could face them knowing she was a failure and a loser.

Her father was a world-renowned scientist, and she struggled to pass high school science. She had tried to take an interest in it and get better at it but nothing had worked. She had been a member of the science club at school but had quickly dropped out. Of course, she didn’t dare tell her father she had dropped out. He’d been so happy when she's joined. She led him to believe she was still going. In reality, she was just going to the movies.

Her father was a man of few words. He didn’t say much and almost never yelled. She only remembered seeing him lose his temper a few times. That meant she had learned to judge his moods by his body language and facial expressions. She knew when he was disappointed in her.

Of course, she gave him every reason to be disappointed in her. He was disappointed in grades, the fact she tended to get in trouble, and that she was dating a boy he didn’t like.

Sometimes she wished he would just yell at her. It couldn’t be as bad as just having those large brown eyes watching her and judging her. It hurt so bad and burned her to the core.

Of course, she knew her father loved her. He always told her so, and they usually hang out a lot when she was younger. When she was younger she was a very big daddy’s girl. In fact, it seemed like her and her mother were the only ones he showed much emotion with.

She remembered when she was pretty small, like around five she was convinced the boogieman was in her closet.

Winter would lie in her room listening to the sounds of the city. The light from the street would illuminate the room and make shadows dance across her room.

It was in those moments that she would hear something in her closet. She could hear growing behind the wooden door. Her father would come in and check the closet very carefully with P.E.K meter. Seeing nothing register on the device had calmed her nerves. Each time she thought she heard the creature he would check the closet. After a while, it disappeared and she stopped hearing it.

The teenager was so lost in her thoughts she almost didn’t hear the light tapping at her bedroom window. It was only when the taping got a bit louder that Winter noticed. She lifted her head and gave a little smile at the sight of her boyfriend. Oscar was standing on the fire escape outside her window smiling at her.

Winter quickly jumped up and rushed over to the window. She opened it and allowed him in.

“Are you nuts?” she asked. “My Dad will kill you if he catches you in my room.”

Truth be told Oscar had sneaked in this way a few times before, and they had never gotten caught. They were always taking a risk though. Neither one of her parents slept very much or heavily. Of course, they were never up to anything in there. They did make out a bit sex wasn’t on the table. Winter wasn’t ready for that and wasn’t sure when she would be.

“I’m on my way to a party and wanted to know if you wanted to come,” Oscar said wanting to get to the point very quickly.

“A party?” Winter asked surprised by the invite.

Oscar knew going to parties really wasn’t her thing. It was usually too loud and people were doing things she wasn’t interested in. She didn’t drink or do drugs, so she always had a boring time. Well, she did smoke a bit of pot from time to time if Oscar was doing it but nothing that would make her a regular user. Even he only smoked it at parties.

His vice was cigarettes. If he wasn’t in school or under the eyes of his parents he was smoking. He never let Winter try them and always complained about being addicted to the things.

“You need a picker upper,” he said. “Get dressed and let’s go.”

Winter knew she shouldn’t. It wasn’t even a weekend night. She had to get up at six thirty in the morning for school. What if her parents got into her room and found she wasn’t there? Even though she had slipped out to a few parties before but it was always risky. The last time she’d been caught her Dad had grounded her two weeks. Two weeks of hell.

“Fine,” she said walking over to her closet. “Hide under the bed if you even think my parents are coming.”

The last thing she needed was to get caught with Oscar in her room. She flicked on the closet light and stepped inside. After closing the door she settled on an outfit. For the last two years, her wardrobe had been mostly black. It was something that bothered her parents, but they often let her express herself in whatever way she wanted as long as it wasn’t hurting anyone.

As she pulled her shirt over her heard she heard it. A very light low growling. It was so light that she almost missed it. She let out a little gasp and looked around the closet. There wasn’t a sign of anything alive or dead in the small space.

What the hell was going on with her? Was she losing her mind?

She walked out of the closet and put on a pair of black boots and a warm jacket. Winter in New York could be rough and it was the start of January.

Oscar couldn’t help but let out a sigh when he saw her walk out of the closet. She was such a beautiful and wonderful girl. Her naturally red curly hair fell around her long slender face. Lovely brown eyes were hidden partially behind a pair of green glasses. While she didn’t do well in science classes she was amazing at math and art. By the time she was eight, she could play the piano like a champ. The problem with Winter was that she always saw her flaws and not her gifts.

Of course, Winter wasn’t without her problems. Her normally calm temper could suddenly become very intense when she was mad. She was also a bit on the lazy side. If she didn’t understand something right away it was hard to get her to put in the effort to learn it. Winter also possessed a very rebellious side. She didn’t often sneak out or break rules but once the urge rose in her there was no stopping it.

\--

Egon knew something was bothering his teenage daughter. When he arrived home from work he found her hiding in her room. She only stayed in her room like that when something was bothering her. She wouldn't even come out when he mentioned they were having lasagna for dinner. It was her favorite.

He already had an idea of what was going on and it was confirmed by a phone call from Oscar. The youngest Venkman was worried about Winter. He explained that Winter had a rough day at school was worried about her science grade.

After thanking Oscar for the information he hung up the phone. At least he knew what was going on. As much as he gave the boy the cold shoulder he was grateful he was around. With each day that passed Winter was talking to him less and less. Sometimes Oscar was his only window into her life. She still spoke to her mother regularly but didn’t tell her much that was important.

“Was that Oscar?” Janine asked as she washed their dinner plates.

“Yes,” Egon said as he picked up one of the damp dishes and began to dry it. “He said that Winter is worried about her science class.”

“I don’t doubt it,” she said. “I've seen those graded papers she tries to hide.”

The scientist let out a long sigh as he put away the dishes. He knew his daughter was having a hard time with some of her classes. He had thought about hiring a tutor for her but didn’t dare do it. Winter had a hard time admitting that she needed help. She might get angry or offended if he did it without talking to her. She might think he thought she was stupid. That was the last that he wanted her to think. Winter wasn’t stupid in any way. She was actually very brilliant. Sometimes she just needed a little help to get in the right direction. He just needed to find the right way to do it.

\--

Winter’s troubles quickly disappeared as they walked into the house. A pretty wild party was going on inside. The fact that it was a school-day meant only the troublemakers was out. Oscar was a great student but always found himself getting mixed up with the wrong people. He always seemed to be getting in trouble. No doubt, that is why her Dad had issues with the two of them dating. Her father thought he was a bit too wild for her.

Of course, he had no idea how serious they were. They were planning on getting married as soon as they turned 18. Oscar was already saving his paychecks, so they could pay rent on an apartment. She only worked part-time. Sometimes at the firehouse and sometimes at stores that needed a little extra help, nothing long term. Two years would be more than enough time to squirrel away enough money to start a life together.

Oscar got a lot of respect from their classmates. Whenever she was him she always seemed to get the same respect.

Her boyfriend didn’t drink much when they were out, but he would have a beer or two He was cracking one open as soon as they got inside.

Winter never drank. She felt like it was stepping over a line. When she smoked pot she never smoked enough to upset her judgment. She had always worried about drinking and not having a clear mind. She had never really given it a second thought, yet that night she found herself staring at Oscar’s bottle.

The teenager knew she was already dead. She was barely clinging on to her science class and she had dared slip out on a school night. Her parents would give her a world of hell when they found out she went to such a wild party. She was already in a world of trouble. If she was already in that much trouble she might as well have a drink. After all, Oscar was there to make sure she was safe.

“Can I try it?” she asked nodding towards his bottle.

Oscar looked at her a bit surprised. It seemed his girl was in a super rebellious mood. He looked down at the bottle in his hands. His dad would kill him for drinking. Peter would be extremely angry at him for giving Winter booze. What if their parents thought he talked her into drinking it? That wasn’t something he wanted to happen.

“You sure?” he questioned.

“Yes,” she said. “Just a bit.”

Oscar wasn’t too sure about it, but he handed the bottle over anyway. Winter was a big girl. She could make her own decisions. The teenager lifted the bottle to her mouth and took a tiny sip. It was a bit bitter but not bad. She smiled as she took a bigger sip.

-  
Janine couldn’t sleep. She was worried about her husband and daughter. Egon was worrying himself sick about his little girl. She knew it was hurting him so much because the two of them were so close.

Perhaps their little girl just needed a little mom and daughter talk. Maybe she could get through to her. She glanced over at her sleeping husband. He was fast asleep, but she knew he wouldn’t sleep long. While he was sleeping more as he got older he still didn’t get a full night’s sleep.

Janine pushed back the blankets and crawled out of bed. She walked to Winter’s room without really thinking about what she was going to say. She began knocking on the door.

“Winter,” she said. “We need to talk.”

There was no reply from her daughter. No doubt she was asleep. Janine gave a harder knock. Still no reply. Something felt off. Her daughter was a light sleeper. She should at least hear her daughter moving around or snoring. Only silence greeted her through the hardwood door. Normally, Janine would never just barge into her daughter’s room but it felt needed.

“I’m coming in,” Janine warned before opening the door.

She flicked on the bedroom light and looked into the room. She wasn’t really surprised to see Winter’s bed empty and the window to the fire escape open. This wasn’t the first time she had stunk out. She quickly began searching through the drawers of the bedside table. If Winter didn’t take her cellphone it would be there.

The drawers only contained pens, pencils, an old pack of gum and hair clips. At least she knew she had it with her. That meant she could call or text her.

What was Winter thinking? It wasn’t like her to take off on a school night. No doubt Oscar had shown up and the two of them had decided to go have some fun. She walked into the living room and picked up the cordless house phone. She quickly pushed in Winter’s phone number.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Her worry grew with each ring. She needed to know that her daughter was safe.

Janine sighed as it went to voicemail. She quickly left a message telling Winter to call her right away. She quickly dialed Peter’s house number. She knew Peter was doing night duty at the firehouse with Ray that night but Aaron, Peter’s oldest or Dana might be in. If Oscar had snuck out they needed to know.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Janine was about ready to give up when a sleepy voice answered the phone.

“Venkman residence,” Aaron’s voice was followed by a long yawn.

“Hello Aaron,” she said. “I was wondering if Oscar stayed in tonight.”

“Winter missing?” he asked with a chuckle. “Hold on and I’ll look.”

Janine waited patiently as she listened as a very tired sounding Aaron walked around his house. She heard light knocking and then a door opening.

“Nope,” he said. “He’s gone.”

“Thanks,” she said. “I guess we have two kids who are going to get a very stern talking to when they get home.”

“No prob,” he said. “Try to get some sleep. I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

After they said their quick goodbyes Janie hung the phone up. She felt a little better. Oscar always made sure she was safe. She walked into the Winter’s room and sat on the bed. She planned on having a long talk with that girl when she got home.

\--

Winter was having a blast. She had two beers and a bit of pot in her. She had only planned to stay a few hours and then slip off home but that plan had quickly changed. The minutes turned into hours that quickly piled up. It was only when she was standing in line for the bathroom that she bothered to look at her phone.

Part of her didn’t want to look. She was scared that her parents would have noticed her missing and started calling her. It was only then that she realized it was four in the morning. Her heart jumped when she saw several missed calls, a few voices, and a few text messages. A look at the sending numbers told her that her parents were trying to get a hold of her.

That was one intense buzz kill.

She didn’t bother looking at the messages or listening to the voicemail. She didn’t want to see or hear how annoyed they were with her.

Winter quickly used the bathroom and went to find her boyfriend. She found Oscar locked in conversation with a guy that Winter didn’t recognize about an upcoming math test.

“Oscar,” she said touching his arm. “We need to go. It’s four in the morning. Our parents are going to lose it.”

“Got to go,” Oscar said trying to play it cool. “You know how parents are.”

The stranger nodded before the young couple slipped off. It was only after they were outside that Oscar let his panic show.

“I have to get you home,” he said.

“No!” she said. “I can’t go home. My parents are going to be there waiting for me.”

Winter didn’t want to go home. She stunk of pot and it was clear she had been drinking. She felt sick to her stomach and just wanted to sleep. A long lecture was waiting for her at home and she wasn't in any mood to listen to it. 

Oscar frowned sensing her panic. He wasn’t nuts about going home either. His father wouldn’t be there but his mother and older brother would be. He’d rather face his father than either one of them. He was more understanding about kids just being kids.

“My Dad and Ray are working tonight,” Oscar explained. “Let’s go to the firehouse. If anyone gets lectured it’ll be me. There is a good chance they’ll let us sleep it of there.”

“That sounds great,” she said as Oscar waved down a cab.

\--

The firehouse was dark and quiet as they walked inside. A quick glance upstairs told them they were Peter and Ray were fast asleep. At least they would get a little sleep before an angry parent cut into their rest.

Oscar headed up to sleep in one of the extra beds upstairs. Winter fetched some extra blankets and made a little bed on the couch in the rec room. She sent her parents a quick text message before lying down on the couch.

As she curled up on the couch the surrounding room was fairly quiet. She could hear the non-stop traffic outside and people in the distance arguing but nothing out of the normal.

She was just falling asleep when she heard it.

Growling.

Her eyes snapped open and fell on a closet in the corner of the room.

Nothing. No growling.

She was losing her mind. She closed her eyes and let sleep take her.


	2. Chapter 2

The rec room of Ghostbuster headquarters lay in darkness and silence. Winter snored slightly as she enjoyed a much-needed nap. A light blue-green glow began to sneak out of the closet door lighting up the room. It moved like a fog across the floor until it reached the sleeping teenager. 

Without causing noise the closet door opened. A short bent over creature emerged from the darkness of the closet. It reached out a hand and gently wrapped a hand around Winter's foot. 

She seemed to fall into a deeper sleep as the creature began to pull her towards the closet. As he walked into the door dragging the teenager effortlessly behind him the light started to fade. 

The light began to swirl and change around them as they entered the closet. It was like being stuck inside of a rainbow. 

"Wha..." Winter moaned trying to open her eyes. 

Winter could just make out that she was in the closet. There a strange light and a figure she couldn't make out hiding in the corner. Something small was inside there with her. It looked like he was walking into a tunnel inside of the closet but she couldn't be sure. All she could make out were odd shapes. A loud cry erupted from her throat as she started crawling towards the entrance. Growing up around ghost had taught her to run from anything like this and not look back. 

"No!" the creature cried as Winter slipped out of the closet. 

He was sure she had been out cold! 

As soon as Winter was free of the closet the light faded and the creature let out a frustrated cry. She grumbled and dropped down on the couch. She must have imagined that. It couldn't be real. She curled up in a ball and fell back to sleep. 

\---

Janine stepped into the Ghostbusters headquarters with a bit of a spring in her step. Their business had slowed down the incident with Gozer and she had finally been able to get some much-deserved rest. Of course, they were still busy but not like before.

The receptionist walked through the office and into the rec room. She opened the closet and hung up her jacket in the closet. It was only on the way back to the office that she noticed she wasn’t alone. Her eyes fell on a young girl sleeping curled up on one of the couches.

What the heck was he doing there? The stranger was way too young to be a girlfriend of one of the guys. She looked way too well dressed to be a homeless person who came in to get off the street. Besides the front door was locked. She would have needed a key to get inside.

Janine walked over to her and gently began to shake her.

“Miss,” she said. “Wake up.”

Winter groaned in pain as she opened her eyes. Her head was killing her and she felt so sick. All she wanted was to go back to sleep. She was going to throw up for sure if she moved. She could hear her mother’s voice calling her to wake up.

“Please,” Winter begged. “I feel so sick.”

“Who are you?” her mother’s voice asked.

That jolted Winter out of her sleepy state. This was her mother. Why was she asking that? Was she messing with her? She slowly opened her eyes and found herself looking at her mother. Wait. Something was wrong. Her mother looked so much younger. Winter looked around the rec room,

The room was different. The big television and video game consoles were gone. They had been replaced with a much smaller television and a beat up stand. What was going on?

“Miss,” Janine repeated. “Who are you and how did you get in?”

Winter's mind went back to her strange dream. She had dreamt that a strange creature had tried to kidnap her. It had been a dream, hadn't it? She was in a place that seemed familiar but was different and her mother didn't know she was. Had that creature taken her somewhere? Had he taken her into the past? That wasn't possible, was it?

“Winter,” she said. “My name is Winter Spengler.”

“Spengler?” Janine asked looking at her with shock.

“I think I’m from the future,” she explained. "Or perhaps another dimension." 

Janine couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had come into work hoping for a calm day. Here she was with a girl who was claiming to be a time traveler on her couch.

“Stay here,” Janine said walking upstairs.

She wasn’t surprised to see Egon awake in his little makeshift lab. The rest of the guys didn’t seem to be around. She assumed they had gone out on a smaller job.

“I found a girl asleep downstairs,” Janine explained. “She claims she’s a time traveler. At least she thinks she might be.”

“Really?” he asked, not bothering to look up from the trap he was fixing.

“She got in and the door was locked,” Janine said. “Also says her name is Winter. Winter Spengler.”

That got a reaction from Egon. He looked up at her with a surprised look. He stood up leaving his trap forgotten and walked downstairs quickly followed by Jenine.

“Do you really think it could be possible?” she asked. “Time travel I mean.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “If she’s telling the truth this could be the biggest discovery in history. Where is she?”

“I left her in the rec room,” Janine said.

\--

Winter sat up as soon as her mother left the room. Her mother. She was her mother but she wasn’t. That woman didn’t even know who she was. The teenager quickly pulled out of her cellphone and flipped it open. It still bore the date of January 5th, 2003.

She didn’t have to wait long before her mother returned to the rec room with her father in tow. They were both looking at her with wide eyes. No doubt they couldn't believe what was happening either. Egon walked over and sat down next to her.

“What year was it when you fell asleep?” he questioned.

“2003,” she explained. “I went to sleep in 2003 and woke up here in…”

“1984,” Egon explained. “...We have the same last name. Can you explain how that is?”

Winter scrolled through the few pictures she had on her phone until she found a family photo they had taken. Young Winter was in the middle with both her parents snuggled up against her. 

“You’re my dad,” she said turned to show him the phone. “This is us. This me and my mom and you.”

Egon stared down at the little phone in surprise. Winter was holding what looked like a phone but it was far too small and had a digital screen. His eyes fell on the picture she was pointing at. His daughter. She was his daughter. It didn't seem possible. 

“I’m going to be sick,” Winter said dropping the phone to the couch.

Winter couldn’t handle what was happening. She was hung over and in a different time. There was too much for the teenager to handle. She quickly rushed to the bathroom leaving her parents alone.

_

Egon picked up the strange device and kept looking at it in silence. How was this possible?

“Do you really think she is telling the truth?” Janine asked. “I mean...this can’t be real can it?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “This device she has looks so advanced. It’s nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

The thought of what Winter was saying being truly scared the hell out of him. Egon didn’t have what it took to be a parent. There was no way he could give a child the love they would need.

“Go check on her,” he said. “Then bring her up to the lab. I want to talk to her more.”

Janine nodded and walked out of the room. She couldn’t believe this. That girl was claiming to be her and Egon’s daughter. That thought made her heart jump with joy. She loved Egon and loved the idea of raising a child with her.

The sound of vomiting drew her to the bathroom.

“You alright?” she asked knocking on the door. “You alright in there?”

There was a long pause. Winter didn’t want to tell them she was hung was over but she knew they would want to know what was going on with her. 

“Must be the time travel,” Winter answered. “It’s made me sick to my stomach.”

“I’ll fix you something to eat darling,” Janine said. “I’m sure you’re feeling a little off.”

It felt so strange to listen to her mother talk to her like that. Normally, she was comforting when she was sick. Her mother was trying to be nice but it sounded like she was talking to a stranger. Winter opened the door and followed her mother upstairs.

“I’ll make you something to eat,” Janine said heading off to the kitchen. “Do you want some coffee?”

Janine was so used to dealing with nervous adults coming in off the street. She hadn’t had to deal with a teenager yet and wasn’t sure what to offer.

“No,” Winter said, shaking her head. “I’m allergic to caffeine.”

That was a fact. If she drank caffeine she would start throwing up again. That was the last thing she needed. 

As her mother disappeared from view Winter turned to focus on her father. The scientist was sitting on his chair writing things down in a notepad. 

“Can you tell me your full name and date of birth?” Egon questioned.

“Winter Curie Spengler,” she explained. “My birthday is on August 14, 1987.”

Winter had seen this process down a million times. If someone came in with a strange story they would ask a bunch of questions to see if the person was wasting their time.

“Tell me about yourself Winter,” he said.

“Um…” Winter said unsure how to do this. “I’m in the science club at school but my real love is math. I’m allergic to caffeine but that’s it. I play the piano and I’ve performed at the New York orchestra a few times.”

She was struggling with what to say. 

Egon looked up at the nervous girl. She was clearly having to come up with what to say on the spot. This wasn’t anything she had rehearsed. Either she was really good at making up facts and making it sound natural or she was telling the truth.

Oscar. It was only at that moment that Winter thought about Oscar. Her boyfriend had been in the firehouse when she fell asleep. He hadn’t followed her into the past. She really hoped he was alright. 

“What is it?” he asked sensing the change in her.

“My friend,” she said. “He dropped me off last night and I…”

“What’s the friend's name?” he asked still not really believing what was happening.

Winter really didn’t want to go into that. Bringing up Oscar around her dad usually caused some form of trouble. But this wasn’t her dad that was annoyed by Oscar. This man didn’t even know who Oscar was. 

“Oscar Venkman,” she answered.

“I see,” he said. “And who are his parents?”

“Peter and Dana,” she answered with a bit of an annoyed snort. “Look. I know you're just doing your job but this getting old.”

Egon frowned. He wasn’t used to dealing with teenagers in his line of work.

“Look, I don’t see my grandparents,” she explained. “They send me gifts all the time that are science-themed but I haven’t seen them in years. They used to visit but every time they did you got into a fight with them. Grammy thinks you're raising me wrong and that I should be focusing on my studies. She lost it when you bought me a new video game system and you kicked her out. I have plenty of stories but right now I feel sick and in no mood for this.”

Egon watched as the teenager stood and walked out of the lab. She could have guessed at Peter and Dana’s relationship. They had kissed in front of all of New York after all. But how would she know what his parents were like? That would take serious research.

He rose to his feet and walked into the kitchen. He stopped just inside the doorway and stared at his daughter. She was sitting at the table slouched over with her head resting on the table. Janine had already placed a glass of orange juice in front of her and was frying some eggs.

She was his daughter. She was telling the truth. He was going to have a daughter named Winter. Somehow she had traveled through time. He decided to give her a little space. After all, what was he going to tell her? He didn’t even know her.

Egon quickly headed downstairs as he heard the Ecto-1 returning. He knew he would need to explain Winter the others. He really hoped they didn’t think he was insane for believing her. After all, it was hard to believe the story she was telling. If Egon didn’t catch ghosts for a living he might not believe her. 

Ray climbed out of the car and leaned against it lighting a cigarette. They’d been out most of the night on an annoying job and he was more than ready for bed. 

“Where are Peter and Winston?” Egon questioned. 

“They went to help Dana move into her new place,” Ray said taking a drag of his cigarette. “Is everything alright?”

“We have a situation and I wanted to make sure everyone was well informed,” Egon explained. 

“What happened?” Ray asked standing up straight. “Is anyone hurt?”

“No, everyone is fine,” Egon said quickly shaking his head. “We just have a time traveler.”

“A time traveler?” he asked raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” he said. “I’m pretty sure she’s telling the truth.”

Ray couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Real-time travel! Egon seemed to believe this person was really a time traveler. It took a lot to convince his scientific friend of something. 

“What year is she from?” Ray asked starting to get excited. “I have so many questions for her.”

“2003,” Egon answered. “But she is only sixteen so you need to handle this with utmost care.”

Even though Winter hadn’t even been born yet she was still his daughter. A need to protect her was taking over. It was a feeling he had never felt before. While she was here he and Janine were her parents. She was his responsibility.

“There's more to this,” Ray said sensing something was going on Egon’s head. “Who is she?”

Well, there was no reason to put it off. It was going to come out. It wasn’t like it was something he was ashamed of. 

“She’s my daughter,” Egon explained. “So I insist you treat her with respect.”

“Your daughter?” Ray said really starting to get excited. “Where is she? I have to meet her.”

Egon shook his head as he watched Ray hurry upstairs to look for their guest. He couldn’t blame him for getting excited. This whole thing was pretty strange.


	3. Chapter 3

Winter wasn’t put off by all of Ray’s questions. He seemed amazed by the situation and was curious about all her answers. Unlike her father, he seemed to believe her right away, at least he was enjoying the idea of her being some kind of time traveler.

She sat at the table eating her breakfast. Her mother left them when the phone started ringing. Winter found it amusing her father stood in the doorway of the kitchen watching the conversation. Even though he didn’t seem to believe her he was keeping a close eye on her.

That was definitely how her father acted. He watched over her like a hawk most of her life. She thought mothers were supposed to be the overprotective ones.

“This is amazing,” Ray said, “Do I have any kids?” 

Winter frowned and pressed her lips together tightly. She wasn’t sure she should be telling them about their futures. What if she changed history? That didn’t sound like a good idea.

“Just give me a yes or no,” Ray said sensing her dilemma. “I just want to know if I die alone.”

“No,” she said laughing. “You have a happy marriage and three kids.”

“Three?” he asked smiling. “Wow. Three kids!”

Ray had his hands full with three girls and a wife that worked out of state a lot. Sandy was often traveling on book tours and that left Ray in charge. Winter got along with most of them except for Kristy. She was a bit stuck up and thought very highly of herself. 

“Alright Ray,” Egon said stepping fully into the kitchen. “I think she’s answered enough of your inquiries.”

“Sorry,” he said standing up. “This is just so amazing. Do you realize what we have here? We could actually figure out how to travel through time. This could change the world.”

“Go get some sleep Ray,” Egon said. “You had a long night.”

Ray nodded, letting out a long yawn. He’d forgotten how tired he really was. He slowly made his way out of the kitchen. As soon as Ray was out of earshot Egon sat down at the table across from his daughter.

“I apologize for my behavior earlier,” he said. “I was a bit out of line.”

“It’s ok,” Winter said with a shrug. “I guess I wouldn’t believe it if it had happened to me.”

“I don’t know if I can get you home Winter,” he explained. “I have no idea how you got here. Did anything strange happen before this?”

Winter was about ready to say no but caught herself as she opened her mouth. Something strange had happened. She had heard that strange growling in her closet. She hadn’t heard that growling since she was a child. It couldn’t have anything to do with it. Could it? 

Then she’d had that awful dream. It was a dream, wasn’t it? She really didn’t know anymore.

“What is it?” he asked seeing the thoughtful look on her face.

“When I was little I thought the boogieman was in my closet,” she explained. “It was just me being a silly kid of course. But last night I heard it again. First in my house closet and then the closet in the rec room. Then I had a nightmare it tried to take me.”

Egon frowned at that. Perhaps some kind of being had put her into the past. Anything was possible he supposed. A year ago he would never have believed this but after the incident with Gozar he was ready to believe some pretty unbelievable stuff. 

“I mean...that couldn’t have anything to do with it could it?” she asked.

“Perhaps,” he said. “I suppose we’ll figure this out in time. I’ll have to speak with Janine about it but I’m sure she won’t mind sharing her home with you until we figure this out.”

Despite the sleep and breakfast Winter still felt off. She really needed to get away from everyone and maybe sleep a little more.

“I’d like to get you out here for Peter and Winston get here,” Egon explained. “If I don’t you’ll be bombarded with questions.”

Winter nodded in agreement. As much as she had liked letting Ray know he wasn’t going to die alone she didn’t really feel like sitting through another wave of questions. 

“Come along,” he said standing up. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind having a day off.”

Winter followed her father downstairs and found her mother standing at her desk writing down some information.

“Alright Sir,” she said. “I’m sure they’ll be interested in checking out your problem. Yes. Thank you.”

“A job?” Egon asked. 

“Haunted house,” Janine explained. “About a mile away. He says he thinks there is a monster in one of his closets.”

“As soon as Ray gets a few hours of sleep I’ll go check it out with him,” Egon said. “I need you to take care of Winter today. You have the rest of the day off to get her settled in. I assume you won’t have a problem with her staying with you.”

“Of course not,” Janine said lighting up. 

Janine was paid a fair wage for her work but he couldn’t expect her to be solely financially responsible for Winter while she was there. That didn’t seem fair at all. After all, she was his child too. 

He quickly dug into his pant’s pocket and pulled out his wallet. They had taken in a large amount of money during the strong wave of business so he wasn’t hurting for cash.

“Here,” he said handing Janine a few twenty dollar bills. “Get her whatever she needs. If I can do anything else tell me right away.”

“Thank you,” Janine said putting the money in her purse. “I’m sure we’ll both be sharing the responsibility with her while she’s her.”

That was right. Jaine was his future wife. He couldn’t believe that he was actually going to settle down, get married and have a family. It just didn’t feel right but it seemed like it was really going to happen. 

__

Winter decided to only get a few outfits since she wasn't sure how long she was going to be there and didn't want to see her parents waste a bunch of money. 

She thought it would be hard to find her "style" in this age but it wasn't too much. Her mother tried to push her into getting something "with a bit of color" but Winter insisted on a black wardrobe. 

It seemed like New York never changed. It was still the bustling city that ever slept. While the items being sold in front of the shops and the prices were very different the city was still the same.

Her mother insisted on getting her a walkman and few tapes to ensure she didn't get too bored. This sort of thing wasn't wholly unfamiliar to her and she figured out how to work it quickly. 

As they walked into her mother’s apartment the reality of the situation was starting to hit her. What if her Dad couldn’t get her home? What if she never saw her friends again? What if she never Oscar again?

The thought of losing Oscar forever shook her to the core. He was the love of her life and the center of her world. That boy was everything to her. 

Janine sensed a change in her daughter. While she hadn’t even birthed her she still felt a connection to her. She could sense something had changed. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing,” she said shrugging. “I just want to get some sleep. It's been a long day.”

“Not hungry?” Janine questioned. “I have a microwave. I can throw you something quick in there darling.”

“No thanks Mom,” Winter said giving a loud yawn. 

Janine gave her daughter a little smile. She was still getting used to the idea of being someone’s mother. It just didn’t seem real. She had always wanted a child but didn’t think she’d ever get one.

“You can stay in my room,” she said handing her the bag of clothes “There should be plenty of room in my closet for your stuff. Just treat this place as your own.”

Winter gave her mother a good night hug before heading into the bedroom. She dropped her bags of shopping at the foot of the bed. She was far too tired to deal with them. She’d put them away tomorrow.

If she was still here tomorrow. She hoped to wake up back in bed, back in her home. Winter put her head on her pillow as sleep took her. She was grateful to be welcomed into the folds of sleep. If she stayed awake any longer and thought of her fear of near seeing Oscar again she would cry.

____

Janine rolled over for the fifth time as she tried to fall asleep. Despite how tired she was there was no way she could sleep. She was worried about Winter. The poor girl had seemed so upset when they got home. It was as if she had something on her mind she didn’t want to share. Perhaps the reality of her situation was finally settling in. 

With a sigh, she pushed back her blankets. She needed to check on her. Sleep wouldn't come to her until she knew her daughter was sleeping.

She got up from the couch and walked over to her bedroom. She carefully opened the door and peeked inside. 

Winter was lying in bed fast asleep. She was still wearing her glasses and had her walkman’s headphones around her neck. Janine walked fully into the room and over to the bed. She couldn’t get the headphones off without waking her up but she could remove her glasses.

She slipped the bright green pair of glasses off her face and placed them on the bedside table. Winter gave a little groan but didn’t wake up. 

Tears filled her eyes as she looked down at her daughter. Her daughter. Her little angel. It just didn’t seem real. She reached down and gently pulled the covers over her. Winter smiled a bit in her sleep and snuggled into the blankets. 

She gave the teenager a quick kiss on the forehead before slipping out of the bedroom. Part of her still believed this was some kind of wonderful dream. A great future was awaiting her. It seemed too good to be true. All she could do was hope it wasn’t a dream.


	4. Chapter 4

“Winter!” her mother’s voice broke through her sleep.

The teenager groaned as she felt herself being yanked into reality. The need to sleep was still pulling at her body. She had the habit of oversleeping and being late for school.

Wait. Where was she?

Winter slowly cracked open her eyes. She hoped she would be back in her room or at the firehouse. Maybe whatever ever took her to the past would fix this.

Her heart fell when she saw she wasn’t in a familiar spot. She was in her mother’s bedroom. That meant she was still in 1984. With a loud yawn, she rolled over and climbed out of the bed. 

She walked into the kitchen to find her mother hurriedly cooking breakfast.

“Finally,” Janine said. “I’ve been trying to wake you up for close to an hour.”

“Sorry,” Winter said sitting down at the kitchen table. “I sleep pretty hard.”

“That’s fine,” her mother said dumping a pile of eggs and bacon on her plate. “I have to go to work darling but you’re free to stay here if you want.”

“I think I might see the city today,” Winter explained pushing her food around with her fork.

“Be careful out there,” Janine said pulling on her coat. “It might be more dangerous than in your time. If you need me or Egon just come down the firehouse. I want you to feel comfortable darling.”

“I will,” she said, nodding slightly. “I’ll be by for lunch.”

“Sounds good hun,” she said kissing her daughter on the head. “I left some money for you on the coffee table. I’ve got to run.”

Janine hated the idea of leaving her by herself. After all, the city could be a dangerous place for a young girl. Of course, Winter had been raised there and was nearly an adult. She had to know how to take care of herself.

“Bye Mom,” Winter said as her mother left the apartment. 

Winter sighed pushing her plate away as she felt tears filled her eyes. She didn’t want her mother seeing her upset. Her mother always got so emotional when she cried. 

She was still here. Winter had been so sure this was all one big nightmare and she’d wake up at home. Should she be so upset about this situation? She had her parents here but they weren’t her parents. They didn’t know anything about her. Her mother didn’t know she liked fried eggs or that her favorite color was pea soup green.

Her friends and boyfriend weren’t here. 

She didn’t know how long she’d last without Oscar. Even before they had started dating they’d been best friends. He was always there to make her feel better, to make her smile. 

Winter cleared her tears on her shirt sleeve before standing up. She couldn’t stand the thought of eating while she was so upset. She would take a nice hot shower and then get dressed and explore the city. Perhaps that would take her mind off her troubles.

\--  
By the time she got out of the steamy shower, her tears were finally gone. Her eyes were still a bit red but nothing really noticeable. 

The apartment was silent as she walked into her mother’s bedroom and retrieved her new clothes from the shopping bags. As she retrieved the shirt and jeans she liked she heard it break through the silence of the room.

Growling.

Winter quickly jerked her head up and looked around for the source of the sound. There was nothing. Only silence greeted her.

Great. Now she was losing her mind. She was really letting that dream get to her.

Winter hurriedly got dressed and raced out to the kitchen. She needed to get out of that apartment and get her mind off what was happening. 

As she passed the kitchen table she noticed her untouched breakfast. She frowned looking at the food her mother had left. It was stone cold at this point. She wasn’t really hungry anyway. Food could wait until she joined her parents at the firehouse for lunch. She stuffed her money in her pockets and headed out.

\--  
Egon frowned as he tried to wrap his head around what he was going to do. He was going to have to invent time travel to get his daughter back home. If he didn’t do something she would be stuck there forever. 

He found himself sitting in his lab staring at a blank sheet of paper. He had designed and built a system for catching and holding ghost. How much harder could time travel be? Both relied on a lot of theoretical science. 

The scientist groaned looking away from the paper with frustration. He had no idea where to start. Perhaps he and Ray could crack this with enough time but it might take too long. They were doing alright for business but he had no idea what kind of capital this would take.

“What’s up?” Peter asked seeing his friend bent over his desk. “Working on something?”

“You could say that,” he said. “Wheres Ray?”

“He went out to get lunch with Winston,” Peter explained. “He seemed pretty giddy about something but wouldn’t tell me what it was.”

Egon hadn’t told Peter and Winston about Winter yet. Ray had been more than ready to but Egon had given him a warning look as soon as he saw that excited look on his face.

It wasn’t that he was ashamed of his future wife and child. It was just a lot to take in. He didn’t need Peter teasing him or making jokes at Janine’s expense. Of course, he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep Winter from them long. 

Perhaps it would be better to tell Peter on his own so they could all tell Winston together. Their newest member might be a little unnerved by the thought of time traveling teenagers. 

“Come on,” Peter said. “Let me in on it. What secret do you have that could be that interesting?”

“You might want to sit down for this Peter,” he said.

\--

Winter slid her headphones down around her neck and paused the music on her walkman. Despite the cool January weather, she had spent a few hours walking around. She had dropped into a store to get an orange juice and warm up a bit. 

In a daring momment, Winter had bought a pack of cigarettes without the clerk even asking her age. She wasn’t even sure what the age was to buy cigarettes. Perhaps her tall height had caused the clerk not to question her age. 

She didn’t really want the cigarettes but she was curious if she could get away with buying them. As she sat on a bench lighting it up she thought of how angry her father would be. He hated smoking.

The smoke burned her lungs and she quickly began to cough. How did Oscar smoke so many of these things? She shook it off as she pulled in another drag. That one tasted so much better. 

As stupid as it sounded smoking the cigarette made her feel like Oscar was there. He often smelled of smoke whenever they went out together. She had always hated the smell. Yet as she smoked that cigarette and smelled the smoke she felt like Oscar was sitting right next to her. 

Winter finished her cigarette and shoved the nearly full pack in her pocket. She knew she’d have to keep it hidden from her parents even in this year. They'd take them away from her if they knew. She stopped off for some breath mints and headed to the firehouse.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I re-wrote this about five times. Hopefully, it came out alright.

“Are you sure you can handle this?” Janine asked looking down at her daughter. 

Winter grunted and looked up from her comic book. Her mother needed to step out and pick up lunch for everyone. The teenager had volunteered to answer any calls they got while the secretary was out. It had been a rather dead moring so Winter didn't think they were going to any calls. 

“I do this all the time,” she said looking back down at the comic book.  
Winter often spent her school holidays answering phones and doing other odd jobs around the firehouse.

“Alright,” Janine said still sounding unsure about this. 

It felt like such an important job to leave a teenager in charge of. Well, it seemed like she was comfortable with it. She gave her daughter a little smile before heading out of the firehouse. 

Winter was just starting to get into her comic when she heard the front door of the firehouse open. No doubt her mother was back to check on her. She grunted and dropped the comic to the desk.

“Mom,” she started. “I can-”

The teenager stopped short when she saw a surprised looking boy standing a few feet away from her. He looked to be around her age with shaggy brown hair and bright blue eyes. Those eyes nervously looked away from her.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Can I help you?”

“Do you work here?” he asked walking up the desk. 

“Sorta,” she said with a shrug. “My parents work here.”

“Neat,” he said smiling at her. “My Dad sent me to get a price check.”

“What do you need?” she asked trying to be professional. 

“He claims there is a ghost in our shed,” the boy explained. “We didn’t mind it at first but now it’s getting violent.”

“Violent?” Winter questioned retrieving a binder. She quickly glanced over the general price guide stapled inside. “I’d have to check with my Dad but I’d say at least five hundred. Since it’s a personal family home they won’t charge as much as a commercial business. They’re out a job right now. Can you give me your name and number? I’ll have them get back to you as soon as possible.”

“Oh Max Grene,” he said followed by his phone number.

“Thank you,” she said writing down the information. “Hopefully they’ll get back to you today.”

“Thanks,” he said.

Winter picked up her comic and went back to looking at the brightly colored pages As she turned the page she felt a pair of eyes on her. She looked up to see Max standing there staring at her.

“Yes?” she asked unsure of what to say. Had she forgotten something?

“What’s your name?” he asked leaning against the desk.

“Winter,” she asked closing her comic book. “Winter Spengler.”

What the heck was this boy up to? 

“So,” he said dragging it out like he was unsure of what to say himself. “You must be into science and stuff huh?”

Oh. He was assuming she would be into that whole ghosthunting thing because her parents worked there. 

“Not really,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not very good at science. Music is my passion.”

“Me too,” he said. “I play a little guitar.”

That made Winter smile a bit. She’d been there for a week and she hadn’t many conversations over those days. It was nice to have someone her own age to talk to. 

“That’s cool,” she said. “I play the piano.”

“Say,” he said leaning a bit closer. “What time do you get out of here?”

“I have a boyfriend,” she said quickly. 

There was no way she wanted to give this guy the wrong idea. Oscar was the love of her life. She was going to get back and see him again. 

“Oh,” he said backing up a bit. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. You just look bored. I thought maybe you’d like to hang out.”

While Winter was tempted by the idea she didn't think it would be a good plan. She didn’t even know this person. Would it be right to make friends when she was would just end up disappearing? That didn't seem fair to either one of them. 

“Maybe I’ll come by if my Dad decides to check out your ghost,” Winter said.

“Alright,” Max said sounding a bit disappointed. 

Winter couldn’t help but feel guilty as she watched him leave. Had she done the right thing? Oh well, there wasn’t much she could do about it. 

__  
Winter slid the cigarette from the pack and put it between her lips. She gave a long drag as she passed back and forth. Her father wasn’t getting any closer to figuring out how to send her back. He was experimenting with bouncing light off mirrors but he wasn’t getting anywhere. She couldn’t help with the science end but she was helping him with some of the complicated math.

She wasn’t used to parents not living together and was spending most of her nights with her mother. This was actually her first night are the firehouse. She liked hanging out with her dad this way. He wasn’t judging her or staring her down. It almost seemed like he was impressed with her knowledge. 

She leaned against the building as she let out a sigh. Everyone else was asleep and she just needed a cigarette. It would clear her mind and the smell of the smoke calm her nerves. Winter let her head fall back against the brick and closed her eyes. 

“Are you supposed to have that?” a voice cut through her thoughts. 

She jerked open eyes to see a very sleepy looking Peter standing in the doorway to the firehouse. His eyes were fixed on the half-smoked cigarette in her hand. She quickly dropped it to the ground and put it out with the heel of her boot. The last she needed was to get in trouble with either one of her parents.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked. "It's pretty late."

“I just needed some space,” she explained. 

“You aren’t what I expected,” Peter said walking to stand next to her. 

“Expected?” Winter questioned.

“You know,” he said, waving his hand. “I expected Egon’s kid to be bound by the rules and science. You are way more free loving than him. You’re a free spirit.”

Of course, that was what most people said when they met her. She didn't act like the child of a famous scientist. 

“I guess that’s my problem,” Winter sighed. “I’m nothing like my father.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Peter said.

What? Winter looked at Peter with shock. How could he say that? She was nothing like him. That was the biggest problem in her life. 

“You’re a lot like your dad,” Peter said. “You have all his best traits.”

“I do?” she asked.

Winter didn’t see how that could be possible. 

“You’re smart,” the older man said. “You may not be a science nerd but I saw you work out that math the other day. You did it like it was no challenge at all. You have a drive for perfection. You re-did that math five times to make sure it was correct. That's Egon to a t.”

“I’m not him,” Winter said.

“No one wants you to be,” Peter said. “I’m sure he wants you to be your own person.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Winter said more to herself than to Peter. 

“Maybe you should talk to Egon about that,” Peter said. “It might be a good conversation to have.”

There was no way she was having that conversation with either one of her parents. 

"I can't talk to my Dad," she said picking up the half-crushed cigarette. 

Peter had already seen her with it. She figured she was already in trouble. No harm could come from finishing it. 

"Why not?" he questioned.

He couldn't imagine why Winter couldn't come to her father with her problems. Egon really seemed to care about her. 

"I'm complicated," Winter explained as she relit her cigarette. "Dad knows I'm a disappointment. I'm not what he wanted. Why tell him more things that are wrong in my life?"

Was Egon really like that? Was he really so judgmental of his child? It didn't seem like him at all. Peter knew Egon had issues with his own parents because of how hard they'd been on him. There was no way he'd make the same mistake with his own child. 

Winter finished off the cigarette quickly before tossing the butt in the trashcan. She liked Peter but she didn't want to have a deep conversation with him. Somethings were just better off not being discussed. 

“I’m going to bed,” Winter said walking towards the door. She paused and looked over her shoulder at him. “You aren’t going to tell my Dad on me are you?”

“Nah,” Peter said waving her off. “Don’t worry about it, Winter. Just consider dropping the smokes. They aren't good for you.”

The young girl gave him a grateful smile before stepping inside the firehouse. 

Peter frowned as he watched the teen's retreating back. She was too much like Egon for her own good. Winter held all her pain and worries tight inside of her. No good ever came from that.


	6. Chapter 6

Peter glanced over at Egon as they drove to check out a possible haunted house. It was just the two of them and they had been stone silent since they had entered Ecto 1. Egon was never much of talker but it seemed his unusually quiet lately.

“So have you talked to Janine yet?” Peter asked.

“About what?” Egon questioned even though he already knew the answer.

“About you two of courses,” he said starting to smirk. “About your future together.”

Peter knew it was a subject that needed to be breached. Winter was in a bad place and needed her parents to be there for her, especially her father. Egon knew he was going to be a husband and a father but he hadn’t emotionally fallen into that role yet. Peter wondered if he could help his daughter when he wasn’t in the right emotional state.

Egon shook his head He had been careful to avoid bringing the subject with her. It wasn’t something he wanted to talk or think about. It didn’t make sense. How did the two of them end up getting married and having a kid together? He wasn't really bothered by it but he did find it confusing.

“It's clear she’s nuts about you,” his friend explained interrupting his thoughts.

“I’m not the marrying type,” Egon said. “I’m always not one to engage in unsafe sex so I can’t see myself getting her pregnant and then marrying her out of guilt.”

“You like her,” he said gently nudging him in the shoulder. “I can tell.”

“I’m driving Peter,” he said slightly annoyed with him.

To be honest, he was stopped at a red light, so Peter wasn't doing anything dangerous.

Did he have a feeling for her? He didn’t think so. Yes, he liked having her around. She was a hard worker and a quick learner. Was that all he needed? Wasn't a relationship supposed to be more than that? What did it mean to have “feelings” for her? What was that supposed to feel like?

Honk!

The light had changed to green and he was still sitting there. Egon quickly pushed the gas pedal down.

“You’re overthinking this aren’t you?” Peter asked. “You always do that.”

“It's clear you end up spending the rest of your life with Dana,” Egon said ignoring his comment. “How did you know she was the one for you?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t think that’s something you can explain. I just looked into her eyes and for the first time, I felt whole. It was like finding the missing piece of my puzzle.”

“So,” Egon said. “What I need to feel whole might be different than you.”

“I’m sure it is,” Peter said. “That’s what makes humans so amazing. We’re all different. Our basic bodily needs are the same but our life experiences shape our emotional needs. Of course, they’ll be different.”

What had he been expecting when he met his mate? Fireworks, like something out of a movie? Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be that. Maybe it was meant to be more subtle.

Egon remembered getting a bit of attention from girls in college. He’d be trying to study and they’d come around bugging him and making things hard. He had hated it. It just felt like they were getting in the way. Janine didn’t make him feel that way. He liked having her around even when he was working on hard things.

Janine didn’t stare. Instead, she observed. Those were two different things. The girls in the past had just stared at he was doing, in hopes of having sex. She was watching and taking it in with interest.

“Don’t tell anyone I got all mushy on you,” Peter said. “Ray and Winston won’t let me live it down.”

“No problem,” Egon said turning off the car. “Let’s just focus on our work in there.”

_  
“Hot date tonight?” Winston asked.

“Dana and I are going to dinner tonight,” Peter said getting up the table.“She is going to be pretty busy the next few weeks so I don’t know when she’ll have free time again.”

Winter was sitting in the lab fiddling with some electric cables. She was trying to make a power cord for her phone so that she could at least charge it. She’d love to look at pictures of her friends. Maybe seeing Oscar’s face would make her feel better. Her father and Ray had promised to help when they got back from a bust. Winston and Peter had offered to help in the meantime.

“Oh man,” Peter said. “I forgot to pick up the pizzas Egon ordered. The place is packed so they can’t deliver them right now.”

“I’ll get them,” Winston said. “No problem.”

Winter looked up as their words drifted in her ear. Something about this situation seemed so familiar. It felt like she was living a story she had been told.

“No,” Peter said waving him off. “You’re hanging out with Winter and Janine isn’t here to help.”

That's right. Her mother had run to the store to pick her up some cold medicine. She'd be feeling a bit under the weather lately.

“No!” Winter said far too quickly.

Winston and Peter turned to look at her with confused looks.

“No,” she said calmer. “Winston and I can go get them. It’ll be fun. Don’t worry about dinner. Go have fun.”

Peter raised an eyebrow and gave the young girl a smirk. Clearly, she knew something that he didn’t.

“Is there something special about tonight future girl?” he asked.

“Of course not,” she said calming down. “Just go right to the restaurant and don’t stop anywhere else.”

“Alright,” he said chuckling. “You got it, Winter.”

Winter let out a relieved sigh as Peter walked away. She couldn't mess up the future.

“What was that about?” Winston asked setting down the wire he was stripping.

“Nothing,” Winter said dropping the wires she working with. “Let’s just go get the pizza.”

Winston shook his head as he stood up. Clearly, Winter knew something but she wasn’t going to share it.

-

Peter felt conflicted about what to do. Egon was one of his best friends and Winter was his daughter. That made her like family to him. He didn’t want to see anything bad happen to her. She was clearly dealing with some personal issues. He couldn’t imagine what was going on. She and Egon seemed to along pretty well.

Of course, he understood this wasn’t the same Egon she was used to her. Her Egon was her Dad. This man didn’t know what he was like to be a Dad yet.

At least he had talked to Egon a little about what the future held. Maybe that would help his friend open up.

“Peter?” Dana’s voice brought his train of thought.

“What?” he asked looking up his food.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“I’m thinking about Winter,” he admitted.

“Of course you are,” Dana chuckled. “I swear she is all you guys have thought about since she showed up.”

“Are you jealous?” Peter joked. “I’m sorry darling but it isn’t every day a time traveler shows up on our doorstep.”

“Is everything alright with her?” she questioned as she ate her food. “You mentioned she was pretty down.”

“I don’t know what her deal is,” Peter said. "Nevermind her. Let's enjoy our night together. You have a very busy couple of weeks coming up."

"Oh don't remind me," Dana said shaking her heard. "We have a conductor coming from France tomorrow to work with us. I can't stand European conductors. All they do is yell."

"You'll do wonderful," he said.

Dana nodded at her boyfriends comforting words. He clearly had a lot on his mind but he was still there to support her.

"I don't think he's going to be working with us Friday," she said. "I was going to use the day to visit my Mom but maybe I'll spend it with Winter. Doesn't she enjoy music?"

"Yea she does," Peter said remembering that Winter played the piano.

"Good," she said. "It's settled. We'll have a girls day out."

Yes. That sounded like a fine idea.


	7. Chapter 7

Egon didn’t know just what to say to Janine but he knew he had to say something. This was his future wife and had no idea how to communicate with her. How could a marriage between the two of them ever work?

He found himself standing near her desk watching her file papers. She didn't seem to notice he was there. She seemed too focused on her paperwork. Egon took a deep breath and walked over to her desk. 

“Janine,” he said softly. 

“Yes?” she asked looking up at him. “Do you need anything?”

“I wanted to ask you something,” he said.

“What is it?” Janine asked raising an eyebrow. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I just wanted to know if you wanted to eat.”

“Eat?” Jaine asked with a chuckle. “Now?”

“No,” Egon said trying to get a hold of himself. “Tomorrow. Would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow?”

Janine couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Egon was asking her out to dinner. Why? Why was he suddenly taking an interest in her? Was this because of Winter? While she loved the idea of him asking her out she didn't want him to do it because he felt forced. 

“You don’t have to do this,” she said. “Just because Winter showered up-”

“No I want to,” Egon cut in. “I’m not doing this just because Winter showed up. I guess maybe having Winter around made me realize how much I like being around you.”

Oh, Egon. He was so adorable sometimes. Here was a grown man struggling to ask a woman out to dinner.

“Fine,” she said. “I’d love to.”

“I’ll call a make reservation then,” he said. “Alright. I’ve got some work to do.”

Janine gave a small nod before returning to her work  
-

It took several hours of work but Egon and Ray finally fashioned together a wire he thought would work. He plugged it into Winter's phone and looked at the screen. His heart jumped with joy as the screen lit up.

After a little fussing with the buttons, he managed to turn it on. 

“It works,” he said happily. 

Egon pushed a few buttons as he figured out how to navigate the device. He could see pictures she’d taken and messages sent from her family and friends.

Was it wrong to look at them? Normally, he would have given his daughter privacy but this was different. Peter was sure his daughter was holding something back from him but he didn’t really know what. It was clear his daughter felt like she wasn’t good enough but there seemed to be more to it than that. 

“Are you looking through her stuff?” Ray asked surprised.

“She seems to have issues with me,” Egon said. “She loves me and it’s clear that I love her but she still has some kind of grudge against me. Maybe her phone can tell me what I did wrong,”

He opened her text message and found many there.

Oscar   
Aaron   
Summer   
Mom  
Dad

There were more names but he pressed on Dad. There was a string of messages mostly ones that her phone had received. 

He took a deep breath and opened it. 

Dad - 3:00 pm I’m working late tonight. Make sure to do your homework.  
Winter - 3:15 pm Sure thing.  
Dad - 2:23 am I’m not impressed right now, Winter. We need to talk.  
Dad - 3:00 am Where are you? Your mother is worried sick.   
Dad - 3:15 am I swear Winter. I’m almost at the end of my rope.

Egon pressed his eyes closed as if to wash those words from memory. He wasn’t the best parent just as he feared. Those messages were cold and unfeeling. He folded the phone shut without opening his eyes. 

“See something you don’t like?” Ray asked. 

“I can’t expect Winter to be a happy well-rounded girl when I’m her parent,” he said opening his eyes. 

“Don’t be hard on yourself,” Ray said. “I don’t know what you saw on that phone but I’m sure you’re a good parent. Even the best parents mess up sometimes.”

According to those message Winter was out on the city in the middle of the night and he was begging her to call. Clearly, she was a bit wild. 

“You must remember what being a teenager was like,” Ray said. “Sometimes kids do things. They act out. Maybe she has another influence in her life. A boyfriend maybe?” 

“Maybe,” he said. 

“Talk to her,” Ray urged. “You have to talk to her.”

Everyone was urging him to talk to her whenever he expressed his concerns. He knew he had to. She was close to her mother. The two of them had been almost inseparable. There was a bond there.

He just didn’t know what to say. Did he just ask her what he had done to mess up her life? 

“You have a job!” Jennie’s voice broke through the silence.


End file.
